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Renov Named Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs
By John Zollinger
Professor Michael Renov, who has taught critical studies for over 22 years, 18 of them at USC,
assumed the post of associate dean for academic affairs in August. He replaces Professor
Richard Jewell, who is returning to teaching after a decade of service in the slot.
Renowned at home and abroad for his expertise in the documentary film form, Renov is a prolific
writer who has authored scores of articles and written or edited seven books, among them
Hollywood’s Wartime Woman:
Representation and Ideology and The
Subject of Documentary, which was released
this year. In addition, he is the co-founder
of Visible Evidence, an annual international
documentary studies conference. In conjunction
with the USC Casden Institute
for Study of the Jewish Role in American
Life, Renov also created “Eye & Thou:
Jewish Autobiography in Film and Video,”
a series of events featuring screenings of
Jewish autobiographical films, followed by
on-stage dialogues between filmmakers and
humanities scholars.
Michael Renov
Q: What exactly does the associate dean for academic affairs do?
Renov holds a Master of Arts degree from
San Francisco State University and a Ph.D.
from UCLA in film and television studies.
Renov: The associate dean for academic affairs is the point person for all faculty concerns, chief among
them promotion and tenure, as well as the vital matter of curriculum — the content and coordination of
all course offerings. The person in this position must also be devoted to the academic vision. Who are we
as a school? We know we’re changing and growing, and we really have to be able to chart the course for
the future. To that end, the associate dean must facilitate open communication among the faculty, help
create consensus around shared goals, and move the School forward.
Q: How has the School positioned itself to meet the future?
Renov: We’ve just spent the last year putting together a strategic plan for the School, which allows us to
look forward five years or so down the road, to see where we are as a school, evaluate ourselves in a very
honest way — assessing our strengths and weaknesses — and project what we want for the future. I
think any dynamic organization, any school, any business has to constantly be engaged in self-evaluation,
and we’ve gone through that process in what seems to be a very effective way.
“We really have to be able to chart
the course for the future.”
Q: What motivated you to take this post?
— Michael Renov
Renov: I came out of this strategic-planning year feeling that this was a great moment for the School
and that I was ready to take a larger role in brainstorming ideas and planning for the future. I’m also eager
to forge connections and create stronger collaborations with other schools and departments on campus.
Q: Do you mean collaborations like the undergraduate minor in gaming that the
Interactive Media Division began this semester with the Viterbi School of Engineering?
Renov: Exactly. There are many USC faculty members who have a lot to offer and to gain from collaborations
with us. We’re perfectly situated to create a greater synergy within our own faculty and with
faculty from other schools. And why not? Why not make USC the best place possible when it comes to
media studies and media production?
Q: Stepping back for a moment, what do you think is the School’s importance
to society?
Renov: People love to go to the movies, but I don’t think they necessarily make the connection between
going to the movies and solving pressing social problems, when, in fact, popular culture is one of the
important ways that any society works through its conflicts, its tensions, its key issues. The School is in
an ideal situation because we’ve created a laboratory environment in which we can try out new things,
test our ideas, allow students to fail, encourage all kinds of experimentation, and take risks. We’re preparing
the next generation of media practitioners — producers, writers, directors, cinematographers, scholars,
animators, game designers. If we can instill values, stimulate critical thinking, and promote collaborations
across various boundaries, encouraging diversity of expression and of ideas, we’re going to have a
huge social impact. Because we’re developing the next generation, who will help set the cultural agenda
and shape the future.
Schools in Harmony
Collaboration Hits a High Note
By Margaret M. Dunlap
Although the School of Cinema-Television and the Thornton
School of Music stand only a few feet from each other, the
gulf between student directors and student composers has historically
been a difficult one to bridge.
Said Assistant Professor David J. Bondelevitch, MPSE, “When I was
a student at USC, it struck me as very odd that there was not a class
about film music, which is, to me, one of the most important parts
of the filmmaking process.” When he returned to the School of
Cinema-Television as a member of the sound faculty, he proposed a
solution in the form of a new course, one that eventually became
CTPR 437: Directing the Composer. Recently, he also found an ally
at the music school in Professor Brian King, a Thornton School faculty
member since 1998, and now director and chair of the Scoring
for Motion Pictures and Television Program.
Since fall 2002, Bondelevitch and King have hosted meetings each
semester to introduce students in the film and television scoring
program to students directing or producing films. The most recent
convocation in October drew approximately 70 students and resulted
in several successful collaborations. Further strengthening this
program, an endowed chair in music editing has been established at
the School of Cinema-Television, and renowned music editor Ken
Hall has joined the cinema-television faculty.
King has also partnered with Richard Hyland, sound department
coordinator for the School of Cinema-Television, to produce “Music
Master Classes” for film and music students on the Spielberg Music
Scoring Stage. Two workshops have been held thus far, one for
string performance and another for percussion.
For King, communication is the key goal. “Film students don’t necessarily
speak the language of music. They’ll say, ‘I need a whoosh!
here,’ or ‘I’m looking for something vaporous’, and that doesn’t
always translate.” At the same time, it can take scoring students a
while to develop a cinematic sensibility. “Most of the time, they just
write too much music. They learn that they need to leave room
for the silences.”
Brian King (left) of the Thornton School and David J. Bondelevitch of
the School of Cinema-Television are fine-tuning USC’s film and television
scoring program.
In spring 2004, Assistant Professor David
Bondelevitch, MPSE, and Rob Cutietta, dean of the
USC Thornton School of Music, were judges for a unique
scholarship competition. Four graduate students from the
School of Cinema-Television’s Division of Film and
Television Production — William Seth Dalton, Soo Z.
Hugh, Joshua Rous, and Adam Stein — were each awarded
a grant to be used to produce a short film using music
from a soon-to-be-released recording of Yo-Yo Ma playing
film composer Ennio Morricone’s music. The four films
will debut at a special concert on November 5, accompanied
live by Ma and the USC Thornton Chamber
Orchestra, and conducted by the composer’s son, Andrea
Morricone, in Bovard Auditorium.
fall 2004 in motion | 5